Should rats and mice be added to the Animal Welfare Act for research?
Rats and mice do not need to be added to the Animal Welfare Act for research. Researchers and technicians know that if the subject animal is abused, stressed or in pain, then the results of the research will be skewed and the study would not yield valid results. I, personally, have toured research facilities and have seen first hand how mice are treated. Their cages are kept clean, they have fresh food and water, and they are given enrichment tools – places to hide, tools providing exercise, and toys to play with. The mice are treated far better than they would be if they were in the wild.
